


Trap Mishap

by sbuggbot



Category: SteamWorld Quest (Video Game)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Gen, Humor Summary:, One Shot, Quest Events, possibly spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-09 05:02:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18910090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sbuggbot/pseuds/sbuggbot
Summary: Tarah gets tangled up in a trap while leading the heroes through the forest. She isn't pleased about it.Takes place during SteamWorld Quest.





	Trap Mishap

**Author's Note:**

> uh what are words--
> 
> Anyway, I had figured I was going to be taking a break from writing fic after finishing my last story, but then the idea gremlins presented me with a oneshot idea that I actually had the energy to write, so here I am. I think I have a list, actually, but some are fuzzier than others and there are some ideas that are just a single quote or exchange or something. writing is hard

_“And so our heroes descended deeper into the forest, in search of the fabled Cursed City.”_

“It isn’t ‘fabled,’ it’s a real city!” Tarah snapped. She and Thayne knew better than anyone else here; they grew up there. “Is she always like that?”

“Mm-hmm,” Galleo grunted with a nod.

“That seems to be the case, from what I’ve seen of her.”

“Why?” Tarah sounded more baffled than anything. “It’s annoying and it isn’t sneaky at all…”

“She’s Armilly and there’s no known cure,” Copernica said, pushing her glasses back up with a note of weariness.

“Are you kidding? I _am_ the cure!” Armilly said. She began giggling as soon as she said that; she was wound up and having way more fun right now than one should expect.

Tarah was about to ask Armilly if her brain would stop working if she ever stopped talking when her brother nudged her shoulder. “Uh, Tarah-?” Thayne pointed up ahead on the path. It looked clear, no enemies loitering about and no obvious dangers, but the little bot was still on edge.

Immediately Tarah was focusing on whatever he saw as well. No one else could tell what was going on, though. “Yeah, I see it, too. Stay back.” Thayne nodded, and Tarah pulled out her axe and crept forward with a heightened sense of caution.

“Uh, is there a reason we stopped?”

“I mean, unless you _want_ to lose something,” Tarah said. Using her axe, she prodded at some of the brambles. An odd-looking wooden contraption sprung out, making everyone else flinch, Thayne included. (He was jumpy.) It almost grabbed ahold of her axe head, but Tarah casually pulled her axe back before that could happen. She shot a pointed look back at Galleo. “See?”

“I do see,” Galleo said. Benji was still jumping around on his shoulder and twittering in a panic.

“It looks funny, even for a druid trap...” Thayne said.

“Yeah, now that I’m lookin’ at it closer, it does look weird…”  Tarah started poking at it again. “This one looks like it’d be annoying but probably wouldn’t hurt much or keep you stuck for very long…” She began to circle the trap, confused.

“What’s got you convinced this one’s so fishy?” Copernica asked.

“I’ve been dodging traps since I could walk, I know what they normally look li-- **AAAAAAAA!!** ” A rope pulled taut and Tarah found herself dangling upside down and completely tangled up.

Thayne pulled his dagger closer and froze. “Sis?!”

Tarah writhed and thrashed about like a trapped animal. She let loose a truly awe-inspiring stream of swear words that didn’t seem to be running the risk of becoming repetitive or running out anytime soon.

“Wow. I think that’s a new record,” Thayne said, impressed.

Orik adjusted his mask. “Given her background, I shouldn’t be surprised, but I still find it rather jarring to hear.” Armilly wasn’t available for comment on account of her jaw being stuck open.

After a few awkward moments (Tarah still cursing a blue streak), Galleo began, “So, uh...do we get her down, or…?”

“We need someone to guide us through this forest,” Orik said, “and I doubt Tarah or her brother would appreciate it if we left her behind.”

_“Our heroes readied their weapons, and…”_

Copernica grabbed Armilly’s elbow before she could lunge. “We don’t know if there’s any more traps set up, we don’t need you tangled up, too.” She cringed. “...or hitting Tarah on accident.”

“Well, do you have any better ideas?” she asked. The only other idea Armilly had involved Galleo throwing her, and she already knew neither of her friends would let her try that one out.

Copernica adjusted her glasses and opened her book. “I figured I could use a fire spell to cut the rope _safely_ from a distance.”

“Won’t that set the rope on fire?” Galleo asked.

“I was going to use a _controlled_ fire spell like Searing Lash, not a burst spell like Fireball,” she replied, sounding a bit offended that Galleo implied she hadn’t thought about that. “It’ll burn just long enough to go through the rope and then it’ll be out.”

“Excellent!” Orik interjected. Galleo looked annoyed that he was back to making “jittery little barks” like he had been earlier. “That should work nicely.”

With that, Copernica pulled her hand back, her eyes focused on the rope. Once she felt a tingling in her fingertips, she swept her arm in a sharp arc in front of her. A streak of fire appeared near the rope and tore through it, following her gesture exactly. It faded out as quickly and as smoothly as it appeared.

Tarah yelped and fell to the ground, then resumed squirming and swearing.

“Now, there’s no reason to call Copernica _that_ ,” Orik said sternly. “That’s just uncalled for.”

“SHOVE IT, **FURFACE**!!” Tarah roared.

“.............”

Thayne rushed over so he could help Tarah get untangled. She was far too frustrated by this point to manage it by herself without tying herself up even more first. After determining that she wasn’t hurt (just angry), he hugged her tight. It did the trick; Tarah quieted down and hugged him back with a sigh. “Thanks,” she murmured, ruffling the top of his hood.

She got back up. “Alright, we better get going--wait, where’s my axe?” Tarah looked around. Armilly had it; she was holding it over her shoulder. “Hey, give that back!” Tarah said, ineffectually trying to jump high enough to take it back herself.

Armilly held it even higher above her head and put her other hand protectively on the hilt of her sword so Tarah wouldn’t try taking it instead. “Not until you apologize to Copernica for cussing her out.”

She didn’t even stop jumping and grabbing. “Ugh, fine, I’m sorry, now gimme my axe back!!”

Armilly squinted at her. She’d heard better apologies from some of the snobs back home when she was little, and she knew they weren’t really sorry. She said as much and added, “I’m sure you can do better than them.”

Tarah grumbled to herself but stopped trying to lunge for her axe. She turned to Copernica. “I’m sorry I swore at you like that.” She looked back at Armilly. _There, good enough for ya?_

Evidently, Armilly thought so; she held Tarah’s axe out to her. She snatched it back and stomped off, still grumbling. First, she gets caught in a trap as she was just saying she knew how to avoid them, then she had to “earn” her axe back like a little kid...it was mortifying.

Copernica followed a bit behind Armilly. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.”

“I couldn’t not. I don’t like it when people yell at you or Galleo…”

**Author's Note:**

> yell at me on my Tumblr or something I have too much free time on my hands: [sbuggbot.tumblr.com](sbuggbot.tumblr.com)


End file.
